Pressure-relief packer



March 24, 1925.

P. H. MACK PRESSURE RELIEF PACKER Fi'l-e-Jan. 29, 1924 Patented Mar'. 24, 1925.

STATES.

PATENT oFFrE.

PATRICK H. ,MAGIK OF BRADFORD, PENNSYLVAN IA, .ASSIGNOR T0 OIL WELL SUPPLY COMPANY, 0F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION 0F PENNSYLVANIA.

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Applicationled January 29, 1924. Serial No. 689,307.

To aZZ 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, PATRICK I-I. MACK, a

citizen of the United States, residing at This invention is for a packerfor oil wells, and relates particularly to a packer havingmeans associated therewith for controlling the gas pressure in the well.

It is a commonA practice in the oil fields to insert a packer in the well at a proper elevation to prevent water from the yupper Vstrata of earth from flowin down into the hole. Such packers must o ten be inserted against the pressure of a rising flow of oil and gas. Furthermore, once the packer has been set in the well, gas will frequently accumulate below the packer, and, where the well is being pumped, this pressure up to a certain point, may increase the eliciency of the pump, but beyond a certain limit, will interfere with the proper valve actuation.

After the acker has been set, it is sometimes desirafile to removeit,` either to be reset in the same well or to be used in anothenwell. Removal of the packer is facilitated if the body of Huid collcctingabove it may be drained before the removal is attempted.

According to the present invention, I provide a packer having a slidable sleeve valve which may be opened and closed to control the escape of gas from the well and control the drainage of accumulated fluid above the packer'into the well. The construction is such that the packin velement may be set by manipulation of t e tubingy to retain it in an ex anded position, even when the weight o the string of pipe is removed therefrom to open the valve.

Another important object of the invention is the provision of a valve whichI may be set in open position until manually released to close it.

Another object of the invention is to provide a valve packer which may be removed from the hole to do so. 4.

The ivention may bei-'readily understood Aany time it maybe necessary by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section through the packer, showing the parts in position to be lowered into a well;

Fig. 2 is a similar view indicating the por sition of the parts after the packer is setC and with the valve closed; i

Fig. 3 is a cross section on line III- III of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view of a shearing pin connection-between the reciprocable valve and the packer head.

Fig. 5 is a detail view.

In the drawings, 5 designates a tubular packer body havin a shoe 6 threaded onto its lower end and avin a head` Z screwed onto its upper end. A s ear pin 7 may be used to non-rotatably hold head 7 on the j body.

Surrounding the body 5 below head 7 is a collar 8, an anti-friction bearing 9 being interposed between the head and collar. The lower surface of the collar has a downwardly extending flange that embraces the contracted top of a rubber packer 10, whose upperendbears against said under face of the coll `r. The lower end ofthe rubber packing mem-- ber abuts against the sliding wedge 11 for expandingslip 12 carried by sliding cage 13.

Bowed leaf springs 14 are provided with v Lone end secured 'to the cage and one end bearing on the shank of a slip.

I' In the body is a vertical slot 15 having -a lateral offset 15 at the bottom4 thereof. The cage has a pin 16 for engagement in this slot. The top of head 7 has an inwardly sloping beveled valve seat 17 thereon and an outwardly beveled surface 18. 4'

-Slidable within the tubular head is a sleeve 19 having a threaded upper end and a lower end ortlon 19a of slightly increased. diameter. is shouldered end portion 19a cooperates with the insidelof the tubular head, as shown in Eig. 1, to limit the relative movement of the sleeve in the head, as will be hereinafter more fully described.

Above the enlarged part 19a are vertlcal slots .24 having lateral offsets 24a, said offsets being similar to the one in slot 15, but having a slight downward inclination away Vfrom thevertical part ofthe slot, as shown in Fig. 5. Passing through the head 7 are pins or bolts 25 whose inner ends engage in the slots 24.

In addition to the slots, the sleeve has a plurality of holes or openings 26 therein. Additional openings 27 at the level of the valve seat 17 are provided to provide drainage for the valve seat.

Screwed onto the threaded upper end of the sleeve 19 isa connecting member or valve head 28 having a beveled lower end 29 for cooperation with seat 17. 4This connector is interiorly threaded at'30 to receive the lower well tubing 3l and is threaded at 32 to .receive the upper or letting-in tubing33.

In operation, the partsfare in the position shown in Fig. 1. After a sutlicient length of tubing 31 has been secured to -the packer, the packer is lowered into the well b tubing 33 screwed into threads 32 until it 1s at the desired depth. The letting-in tubing 33 is then turned slightly to the right. This motion will first tend to move pins 25 out of the lateral parts 24 of slots 24. Upon.-

further turning in the same direction, the rotary motion is transmitted to body 5.

By reason of their frictionalresistanee with the sides of the hole, springs 14 will hold thel cage 13 from turning, so that a relative movement will be effected, bringing pin 16 out of the horizontal offset 15a of slot l5 into line with the vertical part of the slot. rlhen, byplowering pipe 33, springs 14 holding the cage against vertical/movement,-

' the packer is lowered, forcing slips 12.0ut

into binding Iengagement with the wallof the hole. At t-he same time, the weight of the packer and the superimposed column of pipe 33 will tend to urge tube 5 down relatively to the cage, the tube sliding also with relation to wedge 11. The rubber packer 10 is thus compressed between the downwardly moving upper part of the packer andthe wedge, and caused to expand.

After the packer has been set, tube 33 may be lowered to seat valve 29 on seat 17 to close the gas by-pass-` Should it be desired to apply pressure to the packing 10, so as to insure that it will 4 remain set even when the weight of the pipe is removed therefrom, as when the valve is open, tube 33 may be rotated to the right, shearing pin 7 and screwing head 7 down ou the threaded upper end of body 5. This will force ring 8 down, and compress the packing from the top. The anti-friction slip ring or bearing 9 is provided to facilitate'the rotation of head 7 with respect to collar 8. Rotation in the opposite direction will serve to turn yhead 7 in a direction to relieve the pressure `on the packer, as when the packer is to'be pulled.

As the packers are often lowered into a well against very high pressures, it is desirable that the gas escape ports be kept open, at least until the packer is set. This is insured in the present construction by` reason of the fact that a relative reciproprematurely by reason of the packer becoming hung in the'well or by reason of the resistance to the downward movement of the packer -by the pressure in the well.

Due to the enlargement 19a at the end of sleeve 19, the weight of the suspended packer, which might otherwise hang on pins 25, may be distributed to be partially or wholly carried by the shoulder at 19% This shoulder also forms a safety factor in that it prevents the loss of parts in the event of the pins 25 being sheared.

A packer constructed in accordance with my invention is simple in construction, and positive in operation. The particular form of packer apart from the valve mechanism is known to the art asy a hook-wall packer. In my application for patent filed Jan. 29,

` 1924, Serial No. 689,305, I have illustrated the body operable through said valve for ex- I )andino the ackinfr member. j l s P e 2. A packer comprising a body, a valve` member for closing one end of the body, a sleeve slidable in the body connecting the valve and the body, said sleeve having vertical slots therein, and means on the body engaging in the slots.

A. packer comprising a body,`a valve member for closing one end of the body, a

perforated sleeve carried by the valve member slidable in the body, and means on the.

body having a slidable non-rotatable engagement with said sleeve for connecting the body and sleeve.

4. A packer comprising a body, a valve- `member for closing one end of the body, a

sleeve carried by the valve member slidable in the body, said sleeve having a vertical slot therein, said slot having a lateral offset at one end thereof, and means carried by the body engaging in said slot.

5. packer comprising a body, packing means on the body, means on thelower end means on the body, reeiprocable means for expanding the packing means, rotatable means for expanding the packing means, and a reciprocable valveo mechanism connected with the rotatable packing expanding means.

7. A packer comprisingta hollow body, a packing on the body, a valve member for opening and closing one end of the body, means at each end of the body Lmovable relatively to the other; and to the body for tached, and a shearing lpin for temporarily connecting the sleeve and head whereby the cage and slips may be operated before effecting relative movement between the head and sleeve.

11. The combination with a hook-wall. packer having a packing element thereon and means at the lower .end thereof for expanding said element, of va head threaded onto the upper end of the packer for expanding the packing element when screwed down on the packer, a perforated sleeve fitted into the head, said sleeve being reciprocable with respect -to the head but having a limited rotatable movement with respect thereto, and a valve member at the top of the sleeve to which well tubing may be attached, said head having a seat for co-V ope-rationwith the valve member.

12. The combination with a hook-wall packer having a packing element thereon,v

and means at the lower end .thereof for expanding said element, of aY head threaded onto the upper end of the packer for ex- 25 expanding the packing, said means at one/ panding the packing element when screwed end of the body being operatively connected with said valve, and meanson` the valve member through which said valve member may be connected with a. well tubing. y

8. A packer comprising a hollow body, a packing element on the body, a reciprocable valve at one end-of the body for opening and -closing communication therethrough, means at one end of the packing element adapted to be-actuatedby the weight of the well tubing to expand the j packer, rotatable` means operatively connected with said valve at the otherjend ofthe packing element movable by rotation into a position to hold the packerexpanded, said valve being reciprocable relatively to the saidv rotatable means but substantially non-rotatablewith respect thereto, and a well tubing connected with the valve.

9. The combination with. a hook-wall packer having a cage and slips on the lower end thereof and having a vertical slot with a lateral offset in which-a pin onthe cage engages, of a head on the packer having a sleeve slidable therein, said sleeve calso having a vertical slot therein with a lateralo'set, of a pin in the head engaging in the slot in the sleeve, and a member at the top rof the sleeve to -which Well tubing may be attached. a

10. The combination with a hook-wall packer having a cage and slips on the lower end thereof and having a vertical slot with a lateral offset in which a pin on the cage engages, of a head on-the packer having a sleeve slidabletherein, said sleeve also havinga vertical slot therein with a lateral offset, of al pin inthe head engaging in the slot in the sleeve, a member at the top of the sleeveto which welltubing may atdown on the packer, a sleeve slidably fitted into the head, said sleeve having a vertical Slot therein, a pin in the head projecting into the slot, whereby the sleeve may reciprocate relatively td thehead, but is substantially non-rotatable with respect thereto, a va1ve atthe upper end of the sleeve adapted to seat against said head, and means on the valve to which tubing may be attached. C

13. Th'e combination with a hook-wall -onto the upperend of the packer forexpanding the packing element when screwed down on the packer, a sleeve slidably Iitted into the head,'said sleeve having a vertical slot therein in the bottom end of which is a lateral offset, a pin in the head engaging in the slot, whereby the sleeve and head are substantially non-rotatable with respect to each other except for the length of said lateral offset when the pin and lateral offset are in the same horizontal plane, a valve at the upper end of the sleeve adapted to seat agalnst said head, and means on the valve to which tubing may be attached,'said pin when in said offset serving to prevent reciprocable movement between. the sleeve and the head.

14. The combination with a packer, of a head having a valve seat thereon' at the top ,of the packer, a valve member for cooperation with the seat having a perforated sleeve secured thereto,vmeans for slidably connecting the sleeve and head, means on the valve within the diameter' of the sleeve for receiving a tubing, a tubing screwed into the top of the va1ve, said valve and sleeve serv- 'l ing to suspend the packer from the tubing, and a tubing screwed into the top of the valve inside the sleeve.

l5. The combination with a hook-Wall packer, of a gas co trol attachment having a vertically recip ocable valve associated therewith, and a pin and slot `connection between relatively movable parts of the valve for preventing a closing movementof the valve except when such parts are in a predetermined position.

16. The combination with a hook-wall packer, of a gas control attachment having a vertically movable valve member associated therewith, and a pin and slot connec- 15 tion between a part of the valve and a part of the packer including a longitudinally and transversely slotted member forming one part of the attachment and a pin engaging in the slot carried by a part relatively mov- 20 able'with respect tothe slotted member, said pinwhen engaged in the transverse part of the slot preventing the closing of the valve. In testimony whereof I aix my si gnature.

PATRICK H. MACK. 

